WotC Older D&D Books on DMs Guild Now Have A Disclaimer

If you go to any of the older WotC products on the Dungeon Master's Guild, they now have a new disclaimer very similar to that currently found at the start of Looney Tunes cartoons.

We recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website, does not reflect the values of the Dungeon & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end.

The wording is very similar to that found at the start of Looney Tunes cartoons.

Edit: Wizards has put out a statement on Twitter (click through to the full thread)

 

[pming]

Hiya!

I know I said I was done...but I feel I need to make a quick comment on something specific here...

Freedom to offend? It depends.

Freedom to debate? Yes.
Freedom to do hatespeech? No.

Yes. Freedom to offend. A comedian telling a harsh/off-colour or even racist joke...fine by me. I don't think I'd laugh as I don't find that kind of "attack humour" funny (same with lots of swearing/curse words...it just sounds 'ugly' to me). But he/she has every right to tell it.

Yes. Freedom to debate. Always freedom to debate. That's how we got to where we are now, civilization wise at any rate. If you think someone's idea is bad/wrong/incomplete, then you debate via free speech.

Freedom to do hate speech....there is no such thing as 'hate speech'. There is only individuals who hear/read something and think to themselves "that's rather hateful". Thing is... everyone has a different interpretation of what is 'hateful'.

I can't give any examples because I'd get banned. So...I'll leave it at that. Do your own research and come to your own conclusions. The above are mine (and maybe others).

There is NO SUCH THING as "hate speech"....only "speech someone doesn't like".

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[dalisprime]

I am unaware of complaints about the appearance of fiends. Any examples?

Someone in another thread was complaining that it's sexist for female monsters to have sexy female features while male monsters on the same page were depicted as monstrous (only such groupings i could find was with demons where you have a marilith/succubus and other demons and erynies with devils).

 

[Eric V]

Hiya!


There is NO SUCH THING as "hate speech"....only "speech someone doesn't like".

^_^

Paul L. Ming

Well.

There we go.

It's all about preferences.

Sigh...

 

[Eric V]

I was specifically talking about OA. Going forward? Yes, I'm all for that, although with care, as I don't agree with some of the tropes being racial stereotypes.

Imagine being someone of a particular ethnicity seeing their identity stereotyped in a piece of work (that encourages people to act out that stereotype, mind you) and complaining about it, only to be told by someone from the majority that the offensive thing isn't really a racial stereotype.

The gall...

 

[jasper]

I.....


Since "humanoid" is a special creature type that implies playability, design all of them as playable anyway, whether human looking or not.

If you say so, but no. Humanoid ONLY describes basic shape and what spells will effect the critter. I think you are reading in things that are not there.

 

[FrogReaver]

Imagine being someone of a particular ethnicity seeing their identity stereotyped in a piece of work (that encourages people to act out that stereotype, mind you) and complaining about it, only to be told by someone from the majority that the offensive thing isn't really a racial stereotype.

The gall...

Not all members of ethnicity X agree on everything. So imagine someone of the same ethnicity telling them that the offensive thing isn't really a racial stereotype. If that's okay then why does my ethnicity matter if I'm saying the same words? The gall indeed...

 

[Umbran]

There is NO SUCH THING as "hate speech"....only "speech someone doesn't like".

Mod Note:

And now, you really are done in this thread.

 

[Haldrik]

If you say so, but no. Humanoid ONLY describes basic shape and what spells will effect the critter. I think you are reading in things that are not there.

The fact that the eladrin is either a nonplayer fey or a player humanoid, is part of the playability of the humanoid creature type.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Someone in another thread was complaining that it's sexist for female monsters to have sexy female features while male monsters on the same page were depicted as monstrous (only such groupings i could find was with demons where you have a marilith/succubus and other demons and erynies with devils).

Well, this is a problem in fantasy at large, including DnD.

Take a female monster, there are generally two versions

1) Evil Sexy Seductress (Erynes, Succubi, Vampires, ect)

2) Hateful Ugly Crone (Hags, Harpies, ect)

With sometimes the bonus round of "I was prideful and used my beauty in the wrong way and now I am cursed to be hideously ugly and evil" which includes Banshee's and Medusa.

Then you can also get the super fun combo pack of drow, who are beautiful, strong, and they hate men.


Frankly, a lot of it isn't exactly anyone's fault. Pretty much every female monster ever created falls into these categories, but it can be rough sometimes to realize it.

 

[dalisprime]

Well, this is a problem in fantasy at large, including DnD.

Take a female monster, there are generally two versions

1) Evil Sexy Seductress (Erynes, Succubi, Vampires, ect)

2) Hateful Ugly Crone (Hags, Harpies, ect)

With sometimes the bonus round of "I was prideful and used my beauty in the wrong way and now I am cursed to be hideously ugly and evil" which includes Banshee's and Medusa.

Then you can also get the super fun combo pack of drow, who are beautiful, strong, and they hate men.


Frankly, a lot of it isn't exactly anyone's fault. Pretty much every female monster ever created falls into these categories, but it can be rough sometimes to realize it.

His issue was that the males were monstrous.